2016_ThreeSixty_sept_online_lores

$111
September 2016Volume 7 • Issue 1 www.threesixtyjournalism.org
Minnesota Teens Report Stories & Issues That Matter
The north Minneapolis
gospel singer hits No. 1
on the Billboard charts.
Page 16
JOVONTA
PATTON
ThreeSi
xty Focus on...
ALSO INSIDE
Powerful college
essays. Pages 18-26
2016 ThreeSixty
Scholar named. Page 4
Remembering
Toni Randolph. Page 5
Pages 7–15
TEEN PREGNANCY .YOGA . SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY
LIFE . BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP . WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS
. SOCIAL MEDIA . COLLEGE . GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS.TEEN
PREGNANCY .YOGA . SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE .
BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP . WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIA
MEDIA . COLLEGE . GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS .TEEN PREGNANCY
.YOGA . SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE . BOYFRIENDS
. SLEEP . WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL MEDIA .
COLLEGE . GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS .TEEN PREGNANCY .YOGA .
SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE . BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP
WEIGHT
TEEN PREGNANCY .YOGA . SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE .
BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP . WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL
MEDIA . COLLEGE . GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS.TEEN PREGNANCY
. SLEEP .WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL MEDIA .
COLLEGE . GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS .TEEN PREGNANCY .YOGA
. SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE . BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP
.WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL MEDIA . COLLEGE
. GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS .TEEN PREGNANCY .YOGA . SEX .
NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE . BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP .WEIGHT
LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL MEDIA . COLLEGE . GRADES .
MODERN-DAYTEEN PREGNANCY .YOGA . SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE
BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP .WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL
MEDIA . COLLEGE . GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS.TEEN PREGNANCY
. SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE . BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP
.WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL MEDIA . COLLEGE
. GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS .TEEN PREGNANCY .YOGA . SEX .
NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE . BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP . WEIGHT
LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL MEDIA . COLLEGE . GRADES
. DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS.TEEN PREGNANCY .YOGA . SEX . NUTRITION .
SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE . BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP . WEIGHT LIFTING .
HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL MEDIA . COLLEGE . GRADES . DIVERSITY .
ROLE MODELS.TEEN PREGNANCY .YOGA . SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMAT
. FAMILY LIFE . BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP .WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK .
GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL MEDIA . COLLEGE . GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS

2 threesixtyjournalism.org
ThreeSixty Scholars Find out who the newest ThreeSixty
Scholar is, plus receive an update on our other scholars. 2 4
Remembering Toni Randolph Colleagues, friends and students
reflect on the Minnesota Public Radio editor’s life and legacy. 2 5
Alumni Spotlight Damon Maloney, a reporter and anchor for
WJRT in Flint, Mich., found himself reporting on the Flint water
crisis – and a visit from President Barack Obama—from the ground
level earlier this year. 2 6
Off to college All ThreeSixty Journalism Class of 2016 graduates
who were active in ThreeSixty’s school-year program report that
they’ll be attending college. 2 6
Teen Health & Wellness From yoga to nutrition, from life with a
disability to life in foster care, ThreeSixty journalists explore stories
that center on teen health and quality of life. 2 7
College essays A collection of powerful stories about our
ThreeSixty journalists, who each were tasked with writing a
personal narrative college essay this summer. 2 18
CONTENTS SEPTEMBER
JournalismVOLUME 7 • ISSUE 1
Real Students. Real Stories.
Contributors in this issue: Abdifatah Abdi, Minneapolis Roosevelt
High School • Austyn Lo, St. Paul Harding High School • Baher Hussein,
Spring Lake Park High School • Bilan Mohamed, Ubah Medical Academy
• Bina Lee, St. Paul Johnson High School • Citlali Bastian McClain,
Minneapolis Roosevelt High School • Danielle Wong, ThreeSixty
Journalism intern • Duniyo Awad, Ubah Medical Academy • Elezebet
Mitiku, St. Paul Harding High School • Elisa Lopez, The Blake School •
Genesis Buckhalton, St. Louis Park High School • Jocelyn Sol, Cristo Rey
Jesuit High School • Kate Xiong, St. Paul Johnson High School • Katelyn
Vue, North High School • Kelly Saybe, Roseville Area High School • Lucas
Johnson, ThreeSixty Journalism intern • Lucy Kuo, Wayzata High School
• Luis Rosas, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School • Maria Navidad Sanchez
Resendiz, Minneapolis Roosevelt High School • Marwa Mohamed, Ubah
Medical Academy • Melody Vue, St. Paul Harding High School • Mychaela
Bartel, Roseville Area High School • Oralyn Weah, Park Center High School
• Pa Houa Yang, St. Paul Harding High School • Samantha HoangLong,
Burnsville High School • Talia Bradley, Minneapolis Roosevelt High School
• Tony Vue, St. Paul Harding High School • Tyler Lee, St. Paul Harding
High School • William Bollom, International School of Kuala Lumpur
• Zahra Mustafa, Eagan High School
Special-use photos: Christina Garner • Darlene Fry • Jabari Holloman •
John Gessner/Sun Thisweek • Learning Tree Yoga • Mark Vancleave • Sae
Yang • Scott Tinkham • St. Paul Public Schools • University of St. Thomas
• Wayzata Public Schools
ThreeSixty Journalism
Mail 5057, 2115 Summit Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105
www.threesixtyjournalism.org
https://www.facebook.com/threesixtyjournalism
https://twitter.com/threesixtymn
Bao Vang,
Engagement Coordinator
Chad Caruthers,
Executive Director
Miles Trump,
Program Manager
Board of Advisors: Brian Bellmont, Bellmont Partners; Mike Burbach,
St. Paul Pioneer Press; Duchesne Drew, Bush Foundation; Chris Havens,
Best Buy; Doug Hennes, University of St. Thomas; Dale Kurschner, Twin
Cities Business Magazine; Scott Libin, University of Minnesota; Dennis
McGrath, Himle Rapp & Co.; Jack Sullivan, Dorsey & Whitney LLP; Lida
Poletz, Weber Shandwick; Sara Pelissero, KARE 11; Colleen Stoxen, Star
Tribune; Amanda Theisen, KSTP; Wendy Wyatt, University of St. Thomas
Ex oficio member: Dr. Terence Langan, Dean, College of Arts and
Sciences, University of St. Thomas
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved
ThreeSixty Magazine will be published
three times during the 2016-17 school year.
ThreeSixty Magazine design and layout by
Diana Boger.
Email threesixty@stthomas.edu with
comments, letters and questions about
participating in ThreeSixty.
ThreeSixty Journalism is a nonprofit
program of the College of Arts and
Sciences at the University of St. Thomas.
Donations from individuals like you provide
a significant amount of ThreeSixty’s
operating budget. To contribute, please
visit http://threesixtyjournalism.org/donate.
Before the field trip, she spoke
about how she couldn’t wait to go
to WCCO.
Now that we were finally there, on
the final day of ThreeSixty Journalism
summer camp in late July, this par-
ticular student couldn’t completely
contain her excitement. She sat in the
front row, leaning in, knee bobbing
up and down, gaze locked on WCCO
anchor Jason DeRusha, who spoke to
our students from the floor of
the studio.
I couldn’t help but smirk. This
is journalism camp, after all, but I
hadn’t anticipated this level of excite-
ment, enthusiasm.
Ultimately, I hope all of our
students manifest the excitement
they feel during camp in the form of
“light-bulb moments”—those specific
instances when students realize, “Yes.
Yes. I can do this.”
And if they find their light-bulb
moment during camp, they’ll already
be ahead. My light-bulb moment
crept up on me when I was a 21-year-
old University of St. Thomas student,
sitting in a journalism classroom
and watching KARE 11 reporter
Boyd Huppert’s story about Rob
Thompson, also known as “The Jazz
Man,” a University of Minnesota bus
driver who greeted his student riders
with a friendly smile and jazz music
through the speakers.
“I could tell that story,” I told
myself. I just needed the training. But
I could do that. I began to see a path
forward, developing before me.
If those moments of realization
overtake our students during summer
camp, then I feel I’ve done my job.
We want students to recognize that
yes, they can do this—whatever “this”
may be for them.
And I believe it happens.
A light-bulb moment might
happen in the classroom, when a
student grasps the difference between
a weak lede and a strong one, or con-
nects with a guest speaker who has a
strikingly similar background.
Light-bulb moments might happen
during our college essay week, when
students realize their voices are
important and their stories do, abso-
lutely, matter.
Several light-bulb moments might
happen on campus, when students
begin to picture themselves at the
University of St. Thomas—or any
other college—next year, or in the
years to come.
They might take place later that
day, after students have mustered
the courage to approach a stranger
and interview that stranger about his
or her summer plans. (The looks of
gratification on their faces when this
is over, and the new-found confi-
dence that some of them leave with
that day, is priceless.)
They may happen during the edit-
ing process, when a student has real-
ized that yes, against all odds, I really
did write a story in just a few days.
They may also be found on a
field trip to a local newspaper or TV
station, when the veil is lifted and
students can picture themselves
working in that office, telling those
stories, someday.
I want all of the students we work
with to fall in love with journalism. I
know not all of them will choose this
path. At the very least, then, I hope
every single student leaves ThreeSixty
seeing a path—or several paths—for-
ward, developing in front of them.
It’s these light-bulb moments, in
ThreeSixty and beyond, that help
these kids ultimately make this
community, this world, a whole
lot brighter.
Sparking light-bulb moments
Miles Trump
ThreeSixty
Journalism
Program
Manager

threesixtyjournalism.org 3
Students in ThreeSixty Journalism’s July Rookie Journalist
Camp pose for a photo at the University of St. Thomas. 1. Dominic
Hebel-Barreto, 2. Brendan Thor, 3. Abdifatah Abdi, 4. Melody Vue,
5. William Bollom, 6. Marwa Mohamed, 7. Charly Vang, 8. Alex
Reeve, 9. Julia Larson, 10. Katelyn Vue, 11. Victoria Vorobyeva,
12. Mychaela Bartel, 13. Genesis Buckhalton, 14. Isra Ali,
15. Bina Lee, 16. Mai Yeng Vang, 17. Zahra Mustafa, 18. Bilan
Mohamed, 19. Anjelynt Lor, 20. Kelly Saybe, 21. Maria Navidad
Sanchez Resendiz, 22. Duniyo Awad, 23. Citlali Bastian McClain,
24. Najma Mohamed, 25. Liz Sanchez, 26. Lucy Kuo
NOTEWORTHY
Summer at ThreeSixtyJournalism
Students in ThreeSixty Journalism’s June Rookie Journalist
Camp pose for a photo at the University of St. Thomas.
1. Jocelyn Sol, 2. Elezebet Mitiku, 3. Luis Rosas, 4. Abdi
Mohamed, 5. Austyn Lo, 6. Samantha HoangLong, 7. Baher
Hussein, 8. Tyler Lee, 9. Oralyn Weah, 10. Suchin Yang,
11. Pa Houa Yang, 12. Stephanie Ramon, 13. Gisell
Castaneda, 14. Viridiana Arevalo, 15. Loveisajoy Pha,
16. Kate Xiong, 17. Amari Graham, 18. Destiny Attiogbe.
1 2 3
109876
54
11
18171615141312
1 2 3
111097
654
12
181716
15
19
14138
20 2625242221 23
PhotocourtesyofUniversityofSt.Thomas
ThreeSixty camp at a glance
• 106 student participants over ﬁve summer camp sessions
• 43 college essays, 22 reported stories and 48 blog posts
written by students during camp
• 100 volunteers from 40 organizations
• 9 ﬁeld trips taken
• $100,000 in scholarships given to eligible students
to attend ThreeSixty camp
PhotocourtesyofUniversityofSt.Thomas

About the ThreeSixty
Scholar Award
Each year, high school seniors who are graduates of ThreeSixty programming
compete for the ThreeSixty Scholar award—a full-tuition, four-year scholar-
ship to study Communication and Journalism at the University of St. Thomas.
Here is an update on our recent scholars.
Amira Warren-Yearby, 2015 Scholar
Warren-Yearby, a sophomore at the
University of St. Thomas, taught
eighth-grade social studies on
race at the Blake School through
LearningWorks at Blake this summer
and then participated in a paid intern-
ship with Urban Mass Media as a
production and programming assistant
for WCCO’s Urban Perspectives show.
Warren-Yearby also took a filmmaking
class at St. Thomas. This school year,
she will continue her work with Urban
Mass Media, will be the marketing
and PR chair of the St. Thomas Black
Empowerment Student Alliance, will
instruct dance with Twin Cities Mobile
Jazz at Humboldt High School and will
be in the campus swing club.
Deborah Honore, 2014 Scholar
Honore, a junior at St. Thomas, will
study journalism and new media in
Morocco with Round Earth Media
during her fall semester. Later in
the year, she plans to travel to South
Africa with the St. Thomas Theology
Department to study the adverse
effects of AIDS and apartheid on South
Africans. Honore worked as a campus
videographer during the summer and
edited her documentary, which she
shot last January in Ethiopia.
Simeon Lancaster, 2013 Scholar
Lancaster, a senior at St. Thomas,
spent half of his summer working as
an intern reporter for Sun newspapers,
covering several communities but
mostly Brooklyn Park, and spent the
other half as an editorial production
intern at BringMeTheNews, bringing
the day’s top stories to people’s news
feeds. During his final year of school,
Lancaster will work as a produc-
tion editor for TommieMedia, the
University of St. Thomas’ student-
produced news organization, and will
intern for PBS NewsHour’s The Under-
Told Stories Project.
Grace Pastoor, 2012 Scholar
Pastoor, a 2016 graduate of St.
Thomas, is working as a full-time
reporter at the Bemidji Pioneer.
Pastoor, who started at the Pioneer
after graduating in May, covers crime,
courts and social issues.
Experienced journalist-turned-attor-
ney Jack Sullivan was recently elected
to the ThreeSixty Board of Advisors.
Sullivan has 14 years of experience
in the journalism industry as a copy
editor at The (Fargo) Forum, a regional
political writer in Washington D.C. with
The Associated Press, and a local news
team leader at the St. Paul Pioneer
Press. He earned his bachelor’s from
the University of St. Thomas in 1993
and his law degree from the University
of Minnesota in 2010.
“I’m very grateful for the oppor-
tunity to contribute to ThreeSixty,”
Sullivan said. “I believe in the work:
Newsrooms are stronger when their
reporters and editors have roots in
all communities that they cover, and
ThreeSixty helps makes that happen
by giving students the confidence and
experience to start down the path to a
journalism career.”
With six years as a practicing lawyer
under his belt, Sullivan has been
helping corporate clients and human-
resources professionals effectively
manage employees, comply with state
and federal regulations, and investigate
and resolve complaints and disputes at
Dorsey for a little over a year.
“As I’ve experienced in my second
career, the skills that serve a journalist
well apply everywhere, in any profes-
sion,” Sullivan said. “I’m excited to be
part of the conversation as ThreeSixty
continues to find new ways to help
students learn those skills and apply
them in their lives.”
Fellow St. Thomas alum and former
MinnPost news editor Don Effenberger
pointed out the opportunity is a
great fit for Sullivan.
“As a local-news team leader at the
Pioneer Press, he worked extensively
with young journalists in helping
develop their reporting and writing
skills on both breaking news and in-
depth projects,” Effenberger said.
Sullivan lives in St. Paul with his
10-year-old boxer, Chelsea. In his free
time, he enjoys scuba diving, traveling,
trying out new restaurants and taking
pictures.
Dorsey & Whitney attorney
joins ThreeSixty board
ThreeSixty student Danielle Wong has been selected as
the 2016 ThreeSixty Scholar. Wong has received a full-
tuition, four-year scholarship to study Communication and
Journalism at St. Thomas starting in the 2016 fall semester.
Each year, high school seniors who are graduates of
ThreeSixty programming compete for the ThreeSixty Scholar
award—currently valued at more than $34,000 per year, or
more than $130,000 over four years. This year, there are four
ThreeSixty scholars attending St. Thomas.
Wong’s journey with ThreeSixty began when she
attended the 2013 Introduction to Journalism summer
camp at St. Thomas. Since then, she participated in the 2014
Intermediate Camp and school-year student News Team
where she served as a senior reporter. She also interned at
ThreeSixty this past summer. Wong has won two College
Better Newspaper MNA Awards with ThreeSixty: first place
in the Human Interest category and second place in the
Business category. She was one of 42 high school students
chosen to attend the Asian American Journalist Association’s
J-Camp in 2015 at the University of Minnesota. Wong was
also one of two students chosen to speak at the J-Camp All-
Star Reception at WCCO-TV.
Michael O’Donnell, chair of the St. Thomas
Communication and Journalism Department, said the uni-
versity has been richly rewarded by its ThreeSixty Journalism
scholars. “ThreeSixty does a great job of setting up these
students for success,” O’Donnell said. “Our past and current
ThreeSixty scholars are among the best and brightest in our
department, going on to become leaders in the classroom
and in student media. We are delighted to welcome Danielle
to St. Thomas and to our department.”
Wong’s love for storytelling is illustrated by her roots
as an actor. She has performed at her school and theatre
companies around the Twin Cities, including Stages Theatre
Company and Mu Performing Arts. At the 2015 IVEY Awards
for Minnesota theatre, Wong was the first-ever teen to pres-
ent an award. Now, she combines her love of theatre and
writing as Mu’s blogger.
“The idea of pursuing journalism sprouted from my love
of reading and stories, and how stories provide ways to see
the world through different lenses,” Wong said. “ThreeSixty
inspired me to become a story writer who gives a voice to
those who are rarely heard. The program provided a safe
place to hone my skills and find my voice, so I can make an
impact in my community and beyond.”
At St. Thomas, Wong hopes to continue her passion
for telling stories by studying to become a multilingual
international journalist. She is grateful for the opportunity to
represent ThreeSixty in the Class of 2020 and is excited for
the journey ahead.
Danielle Wong is
the 2016 ThreeSixty
Scholar
Amira Warren-Yearby
Deborah Honore
Grace Pastoor
Danielle Wong
Jack Sullivan
Simeon Lancaster
NOTEWORTHY

Remembering
Toni Randolph
Colleagues, mentees reflect
on MPR editor’s life and legacy
“When I was in high school, I was not
a fan of school. I hated school, and
Toni knew that. And when I was work-
ing with her in the Young Reporters
Series, I’d come and practically run
through the skyways—because I went to
school downtown—I’d run through the
skyways to get to MPR and she would
let me in. And she knew I wasn’t doing
super great, and she’d ask me like, “Oh,
how’s your homework doing, how’s
school, are you doing good?” And I was
like, “Oh, there’s this test tomorrow
that, you know, I haven’t really studied
for it, but it’s okay, I’ll be fine.” And she
sent me home to go study for the test. ...
I will never forget that.
… I think for Toni, what was really spe-
cial about her was, she was always being
my professional mentor, she wanted to
see me do well in the field, but she also
cared about how I was doing in the rest
of my life. She wanted to make sure that
I was successful, that I stayed out of
trouble and all of those things. ... For me,
graduating high school, getting into col-
lege and all the success that I have, it’s all
because of her.”
—Simone Cazares, University of
St. Thomas sophomore and ThreeSixty
Journalism graduate who became a
student Randolph mentored.
“I knew nothing about journalism. I took some classes, but that was it.
I didn’t know how to do reporting or anything like that. But here was Toni,
telling me about how people do this work and she was very helpful. She was someone
who was there caring (for) young people, especially young people of color who
were interested in this profession. And that really touched me.”
—Mukhtar Ibrahim, former reporter at Minnesota Public Radio News and current Bush Fellow who is now
attending graduate school at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
“Toni was a great ambassador to the community.
She embodied all of the things we want to stand for—
integrity, openness, wisdom. She was a great journalist and
she had a great care for the people that she dealt with, and
she’s just an outstanding representative for Minnesota Public
Radio—both as a journalist and as someone who reached
down, supported and mentored so many journalists
and aspiring journalists in the community.”
—David Kansas, chief operating officer of Minnesota Public Radio.
“Toni joined the ThreeSixty Board of Advisors in February and was active with
ThreeSixty for a number of years, always eager to arrange our summer camp visits
to MPR, lead those tours and mentor ThreeSixty students. As well, several recent
ThreeSixty students participated in her Young Reporters Series at MPR.
In November 2014, we presented Toni with our Widening the Circle Award,
which honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the next
generation of journalists, particularly while promoting inclusion and diversity. She
was the perfect choice. In the time that followed, I was privileged to learn first-hand
just how deep and genuine her dedication to those tenants was. Toni was a smart,
warm and thoughtful person who was deeply committed to her craft as well as to
the principles that ThreeSixty and its mission encompass.”
—Chad Caruthers, executive director of ThreeSixty Journalism.
“I think she took that element of being a role model seriously. That she understood that our
young people need to see examples of people who look like them and examples of people
who come from a range of backgrounds in leading roles in our society. ... I think that she
made investments in lots and lots of young people, but she was also a great example of
what was possible.
... I just think she’s going to be a loss for us, on so many levels. I’m glad to have known
her, I’m glad that we had the chance to become friends, and I’m glad that she made so many
contributions to this community—both to journalism and the Twin Cities.”
“She just had every quality that you’d
want in a mentor. She was kind, she
was passionate about the work she did,
and she really believed in the qualities
and skills that I had. She constantly
told me how great of a job I was doing
and how much she believed in me. So
to answer that, I believe she embodied
everything you want a role model to
be. She had every quality that you’d
want your role model to have.”
—Chad Faust, University of
Wisconsin-Madison freshman and
ThreeSixty graduate who became a
student Randolph mentored.
—Duchesne Drew, community network vice president at Bush Foundation and former
journalist who knew Randolph through the National Association of Black Journalists.
Minnesota Public Radio award-winning
journalist Toni Randolph, a longtime
ThreeSixty Journalism supporter, a cham-
pion for diversity in newsrooms and a
mentor to young journalists, died July 3 after
being hospitalized for a medical procedure.
Randolph, 53, joined Minnesota Public
Radio in 2003 as a reporter before becom-
ing editor for new audiences in 2010, a position created to connect with diverse
Minnesotans. She was a champion of diversity at MPR and beyond, using her years
of experience as a journalist to inspire and mentor the next generation of journalists
through programs such as MPR’s Young Reporters Series and ThreeSixty Journalism.
In 2014, ThreeSixty awarded Randolph the Widening the Circle Award, given
each year to an individual who has made “extraordinary contributions to the next
generation of journalists, particularly while promoting inclusion and diversity.”
Randolph also joined the ThreeSixty Board of Advisors in 2016.
Many have found it hard to believe a woman filled with so much life could be gone.
Here’s how colleagues, friends and mentees reflected on Randolph’s life and legacy.
Danielle Wong
ThreeSixty
Journalism
intern
Photosubmitted
Toni Randolph
NOTEWORTHY

Like many others, Damon Maloney
had seen presidential jet landings on
television before.
But in May, Maloney stood on the
tarmac of Bishop International Airport
in Flint, Michigan, where Air Force One
had just landed with President Barack
Obama inside, to report a live play-by-
play of the president’s visit to Flint, a
city crippled by a water crisis.
It’s not every day that a young
journalist is given the opportunity to
report such a momentous occasion,
and Maloney was making sure to soak
it all in.
When the president arrived in Flint,
Maloney took some time out of his
hectic schedule to call his parents, who
he says have made his journalism jour-
ney a reality. Standing on the tarmac,
Maloney reflected on how far he’d
come, and that reporting a presidential
visit “was symbolic of my journey to be
able to cover such a historic event.”
Maloney, who was part of ThreeSixty
Journalism back when it was dubbed
the Urban Journalism Workshop, has
been reporting stories for WJRT in
Flint—he’s also a weekend anchor—
since his arrival in November 2014,
before the national coverage of the
water crisis.
Maloney had been part of the
sporadic coverage of dirty water locally.
While the issue seemed severe, any
stirs of a serious problem were down-
played, according to Maloney.
“People had come complaining
about the smell, the taste, the color
of the water,” Maloney said. “At
that point, everyone was just saying,
‘Everything’s fine, it’s safe, it’s up to
code.’”
After independent researchers from
Virginia Tech carried out tests that
yielded troubling results, including
drastically high lead levels in the drink-
ing water, Maloney says, that was the
moment where national media began
to pour in.
As a local reporter tasked with cov-
ering a national story, Maloney said the
impact of this story is incomparable to
his past assignments.
“I’ve been doing this for almost ten
years now,” he said, “and I’ve never
experienced a story of this magnitude,
in its scope and what it is and who it
affects.”
Although reporting on the water
ThreeSixty
Alumni Spotlight:
Damon Maloney
A local reporter covering
the Flint water crisis
By Lucas
Johnson
ThreeSixty
Journalism
intern
Photosubmitted
Damon Maloney, a 2001 ThreeSixty Journalism alum, reports in May from the
tarmac of Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan, where President
Barack Obama was making a visit amid the city’s water crisis.
Publishing a moving story.
Conducting a powerful interview.
Reporting a story that brings change.
Undertaking those responsibilities
is not everyone’s cup of tea, but for
Danielle Wong, being in the thick of
things is ideal.
Wong, who first joined ThreeSixty
Journalism in 2013, hopes to become
an international broadcast journalist
and, as a result, a voice of accuracy to
dispel misconceptions about cultural
practices.
“That’s a large reason why there are
so many conflicts in this world right
now, because there’s a lot of misunder-
standing and misperceptions,” Wong
said, “and I think that by being a broad-
cast journalist I can help [reinform]
those misperceptions, because I will be
an advocate.”
She’ll take her next step by attending
the University of St. Thomas next year
with a four-year, full-tuition scholar-
ship—the ThreeSixty Scholarship—to
study Communication & Journalism
(COJO).
Wong is one of 22 ThreeSixty
graduates—who were active in the
program during the school year—who
have reported they will attend college
this fall (and one who will attend
the following year). Some will attend
in-state schools, such as Augsburg
College and the University of
Minnesota, while others will head out
of state to institutions such as George
Washington University and
Dartmouth College.
Last year, all 20 ThreeSixty
graduates reported attending
a college or university for the
2015-16 school year.
“How cool is that, 42 of
42 students? We’re proud
of each one, no matter the
path they’re pursuing,” said
ThreeSixty Executive Director
Chad Caruthers. “ThreeSixty
means journalism, yes, but it
also means college readiness
and student success.”
For Blaine High School
graduate Annrose Jerry, music
has always been more than
a hobby. To her, music is a
means of bringing people
together, as well as an outlet,
she said.
Jerry, who was awarded as
her high school’s top band
member, will attend the
University of Notre Dame this
fall and hopes to continue
music there in ensembles.
“I look forward to col-
lege,” said Jerry, who joined
ThreeSixty in the summer of 2015. “I
hope I can grow even more as a person.
... I’m just going to seek out experi-
ences for those experiences, because
that’s when you become an adult.”
Jerry also plans to study neurosci-
ence and behavior at Notre Dame.
College is further on the horizon for
Perpich Arts High School
graduate Katia Kozachok.
Instead of taking the con-
temporary route, Kozachok
will take a gap year in
Madhya Pradesh, India, to
immerse herself in Indian
culture.
After her gap year,
Kozachok plans to attend
the University of Minnesota
Morris to study psychology
and gender studies, and
hopefully return to India
before graduating.
Kozachok said a com-
bination of her parents’
experiences abroad coupled
with her own desire to try
something unique fueled
her decision.
“Both of my parents
were exchange students,
so it’s something that they
really wanted their kids to
do if given the chance,”
said Kozachok, who joined
ThreeSixty in 2013. “... I
just wanted to experience
something vastly different than
what I was used to.”
Kozachok hopes to return home a
year later with a better grasp on the
Hindi language. And she definitely will
not miss the frigid months while she’s
gone.
“The lack of winter is pretty great,”
she said.
22for22
ThreeSixty Journalism
Class of 2016 graduates to attend college
By Lucas
Johnson
ThreeSixty
Journalism
intern
Jerry
Kozachok
Wong
OFF TO COLLEGE
ThreeSixty Journalism’s 22 Class of
2016 graduates will be attending
college at the following institutions:
• University of St. Thomas
• St. Olaf College
• Augsburg College
• College of St. Benedict’s
• University of Minnesota
• University of Minnesota Morris
• Minnesota State University, Mankato
• St. Paul College
• University of Wisconsin–Madison
• North Dakota State University
• Iowa State University
• Jackson State University
• George Washington University
• University of Notre Dame
• Dartmouth College
• Minneapolis Community and
Technical College
• Normandale Community College
Students intend to major in the
following areas:
• Communication and journalism
• Neuroscience and behavior
• Business
• Secondary education
• Engineering
* Note: Some students will begin
college undecided.
MALONEY continued on page 27
NOTEWORTHY

When we as ThreeSixty Journalism staff started brainstorming story ideas for
a health-and-wellness-themed issue, we soon realized how many stories were
waiting to be told. ¶ Stories on teen pregnancy. Fitness. Body image. Nutrition.
Relationships. School. ¶ And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Our list was even longer. ¶ So, we took that list, boiled it down and challenged
students in our brand-new News Reporter Academy camp in July to tell those
stories—stories that relate to teens’ health and quality of life. ¶ We think they did
a fantastic job. ¶ On the following pages, you will find stories about students who
have overcome a disability (pages 9 and 14), about organizations that help young
people—whether they are aging out of the foster care system (page 15) or are
young mothers looking for help (page 10)—and about issues that affect teenagers,
such as when they should start school in the morning (story below) and whether
they should try the newest body image trend (page 13). ¶ We hope you not only
take notice of the great stories these students wrote, but also learn something
about your own health and wellness in the process.
With research suggesting a variety
of benefits to later high school start
times for students, some Twin Cities
area schools have begun to push back
start times, while others have decided
against the change.
For Wayzata Public Schools, a
December 2015 school board vote in
favor of shifting to a later high school
start time, among other changes, was
unanimous. One month earlier, St. Paul
Public Schools’ board voted to not
change start times, while participating
in a pilot at one school in an effort to
test a later start. Feasibility and poten-
tial health benefits were key issues for
both school districts.
Research has shown the benefits of
later start times range from improved
academic performance to a reduction
in car crashes by students. A 2014 study
from the University of Minnesota,
which studied more than 9,000 stu-
dents from eight public high schools in
three states, found that shifting school
start times to 8:55 a.m. from 7:35 a.m.
decreased car crashes for teen drivers
(ages 16-18) by 70 percent.
“The evidence is really clear
that later start times are incredibly
beneficial for academic outcomes,
school attendance, mental health, and
injuries—specifically car crashes,” said
Rachel Widome, assistant professor of
epidemiology and community health at
the University of Minnesota.
Studies show nearly one-third
of American teenagers get at least
eight hours of sleep each night. The
American Academy of Pediatrics rec-
ommends teenagers between ages 14
and 17 get 8.5 to 9.5 hours per night.
In Wayzata, the research was persua-
sive enough to lead the school board
to unanimously adopt nearly an extra
hour of sleep for high school students.
The start time was pushed back to
8:20 a.m. from 7:30 a.m. for the 2016-17
school year.
For Wayzata SuperintendentChace
Anderson,the later start wasnecessary,
despite oppositionfrom some parents
whoworriedabout the effect onelemen-
taryschools,whichwouldstart earlier to
provide available busesfor highschool
studentslater inthe morning.
“Research shows that they wake up
bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready
to go,” Anderson said of elementary
school students. “Whereas for high
school kids, it’s a little harder to get the
engine going. So we have elementary
teachers saying kids are tired by the
middle of the afternoon and high
school teachers saying students aren’t
awake until 9 a.m.”
The Burnsville-Savage-Eagan
district also pushed back its high
school start time for the 2016-17 school
year. Minneapolis and Edina schools
switched to later start times several
years ago. Schools across the nation
also have followed suit.
In Wayzata, the most straightfor-
ward approach was to simply rear-
range bus schedules. Anderson said
the district’s 85 buses are enough to
transport more than 10,000 students
over a staggered pickup and start
time schedule.
St. Paul Public Schools doesn’t have
the same luxury. By serving more than
39,000 students, St. Paul district bus
drivers have a lot of ground to cover.
Similar to Wayzata, St. Paul schools
use a three-tier system in which buses
drive multiple routes on a staggered
schedule. In the current system, high
school and middle school students are
picked up first, followed by elemen-
tary students.
Duniyo Awad
Ubah Medical
Academy
By Elisa
Lopez
The Blake
School
Late-start debate
Research prompts some high schools
to push back start times
LATE START continued on page 27
Clockwise from above: Rachel Widome, Chace Anderson, Jackie Allen Statum.
TEEN PREGNANCY .
YOGA . SEX
. NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE . BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP .WEIGHT LIFTING .
HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL MEDIA . COLLEGE . GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS.
TEEN PREGNANCY .YOGA . SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE . BOYFRIENDS
. SLEEP . WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL MEDIA . COLLEGE . GRADES .
DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS .TEEN PREGNANCY .YOGA . SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE .
FAMILY LIFE . BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP .WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL MEDIA
. COLLEGE . GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS .TEEN PREGNANCY .YOGA . SEX . NUTRITION
. SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE . BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP .WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK .
GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL MEDIA . COLLEGE . GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS.TEEN PREGNANCY
TEEN PREGNANCY .YOGA . SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY
LIFE . BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP .WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS
. SOCIAL MEDIA . COLLEGE . GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS.TEEN
PREGNANCY .YOGA . SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY LIFE .
BOYFRIENDS . SLEEP .WEIGHT LIFTING . HOMEWORK . GIRLFRIENDS . SOCIAL
MEDIA . COLLEGE . GRADES . DIVERSITY . ROLE MODELS .TEEN PREGNANCY
. SEX . NUTRITION . SCHOOL CLIMATE . FAMILY
&MODERN-DAYTEEN

As Kaylyn Vang prepared to convince
a panel of celebrity judges that she
and her teammates had created the
most flavorful, healthy meal during
a national cook-off, time seemed to
have stopped.
It was “the most nerve-wracking
thing I’ve ever experienced,” said
Vang, 17, an incoming senior at St.
Paul Harding High School. “It felt like
the longest five minutes ever.”
Vang was one of three students
from Harding who won a regional
chef competition earlier this year
as a part of the Healthy Schools
Campaign’s Cooking up Change
initiative. The team advanced
to the national finals on June 6
in Washington, D.C., where they
prepared and presented their meals
in front of a panel of celebrity chef
judges—including Daniel Giusti and
Kwame Onwauchi—as well as nutri-
tion experts and national leaders.
The Cooking up Change program
challenges culinary students across
the country to create tasty meals that
follow national nutrition standards—
for about $1 per meal. Students learn
to work as a team, think critically
and hone communication skills that
prepare them for success, whether in
the kitchen or not.
Vang and her teammates, Xia Vang
and Chinue Yang, created the winning
dish in St. Paul, one of 10 regional
contests. Inspired by their Southeast
Asian heritage, they produced Thai
peanut chicken lettuce wraps, cucum-
ber salad and pineapple crisp.
Their first-place regional finish
also gave them another perk: the dish
was lunch for St. Paul Public Schools
students in May. This meant up to
40,000 students could try their work.
“I was excited and I really wanted
to see how my peers thought of the
dishes,” Vang said. “And we got a lot
of good feedback from the teachers.”
Teachers described it as a vibrant,
refreshing and presentable meal,
Vang said.
As with any chef, Vang expected
some criticism. One of Vang’s friends
thought the dish lacked flavor. Vang
said that was understandable, because
she’s aware of the difference between
serving a small group compared to
thousands of students.
“I think that helped me, because
I realized that negative feedback
doesn’t stop me from pursuing certain
things that I want to cook,” Vang said.
“But I’m a person that really likes to
experiment with food, and so I’m not
afraid to try new things, and to get
that feedback.”
One of the team’s biggest
cheerleaders is Allison Zaccardi, a
Harding family and consumer science
teacher.
“I think they’re amazing,” Zaccardi
said. “They’re so motivated and
creative and they do such a great job
working together as a team. They each
have their own unique skillset and
they really allow each other to kind of
push their own skills, while support-
ing the other people’s skills.”
Zaccardi says there should be more
student input on what students eat.
“The issues around student health
are so critical,” she said. “It’s so
important that we feed our students
healthy food, and that they get used
to eating healthy food” for the rest of
their lives.
In D.C., students also had the
opportunity to visit city sites and
serve their dishes to legislative lead-
ers, as well as meet the secretary of
the U.S. Department of Education,
John King.
A team from Orange County
won the national competition with
Moroccan stuffed zucchini, Moroccan
salad and spiced pear cups. Teams
from Chicago and Los Angeles took
second and third, respectively.
Although Vang’s team didn’t
win the national competition, the
students learned the importance
of eating healthy, the challenges of
creating a recipe and the benefits of
working in a team, she said.
And that will last longer than
five minutes.
Adding their
own flavor
Harding trio gets once-in-a-lifetime
chance to display culinary chops in D.C.
By Samantha
HoangLong
Burnsville High
School
PhotocourtesyofSt.PaulPublicSchools
St. Paul Harding High School students Kaylyn Vang (left), Xia Vang (center) and Chinue Yang competed in the Healthy
Schools Campaign’s Cooking up Change national finals in June in Washington, D.C. The trio won a regional competition
in St. Paul to earn the national bid.
PhotocourtesyofChristinaGarner
Allison Zaccardi, a family and consumer science teacher at Harding, says there
should be more student input on what foods students eat.
OTHER LOCAL DISHES
Other St. Paul schools competed in
the regional “Cooking up Change”
competition last school year. The
following are their dishes, according
to the Healthy Schools Campaign’s
website:
2 Central High School
Student chefs: Dexter, Alana
and Hunter
Menu: Caribbean cilantro-lime chicken
soup, hot and fruity Caribbean
coleslaw and caribbean bananas
2 Harding High School Team #2
Student chefs: Leslie, Cindy and Tracy
Menu: Chicken rice bowl, black bean
and corn salad and poached apple
2 Humboldt High School
Student chefs: Hibo and Der
Menu: Garlic chicken flatbread, fresh
spinach salad and citrus smoothie
2 Johnson High School
Student chefs: Va and Yeng
Menu: Chicken laab, sauteed spinach
and peanut butter bananas
2 Washington Tech High School
Student chefs: Tramaine,
Houa and Mai
Menu: Southern barbeque chicken
pizza with caramelized onion,
salad and diced peaches
TEENHEALTH&WELLNESS

Burnsville High School graduate Scott
Tinkham and senior Jerrad Solberg were
locker neighbors in junior high, but they
didn’t really get to know each other until
Tinkham picked up a video camera.
TinkhamwonBestinFestandBest
DocumentaryinMayatastatewide
highschoolfilmcompetition,theEDU
FilmFestival,forhis15-minuteshort,
“JERRAD,”whichfocusesonSolberg,18,
andhiscerebralpalsy.Thefilmalsoisan
officialselectioninthe2016AllAmerican
HighSchoolFilmFestival,whichtakes
placeinOctoberinNewYorkCity.
“I wanted to show how normal of a
kid Jerrad is,” Tinkham said.
The film, which was shot last school
year and took four-and-a-half months
to pull together, chronicles Solberg’s
efforts to attend school without the
walker he had used since early child-
hood. The walker advertised his dis-
ability to his peers, putting a physical
barrier between him and other teens.
“It makes them realize that I have
a disability,” Solberg said, “(and) half
of the time they don’t even want to at
least talk to me.”
Cerebral palsy is a congenital
disorder that impacts body movement,
muscle tone, coordination and/or
posture. Solberg has a form of cerebral
palsy that affects his left side, according
to the film.
Family members describe Solberg
as an easygoing, optimistic teen, an
important trait given the difficulties he
has faced learning to walk.
“Determined and driven,” Tinkham
said when asked to describe Solberg.
“Not letting his challenges get in his
way.”
Tinkham started making films with
his younger brother when he was in
elementary school. His passion for
making movies deepened during
his sophomore year, when he began
making videos for his school’s hockey
and football teams.
Even with his experience, Tinkham
said he struggled with Solberg’s story
because it was lacking something. He
had to find context.
“I went into it blind,” Tinkham said.
He reached out to Kevin Silberman,
Solberg’s junior high teacher. Finding
out Solberg has never gone to school
without his walker gave Tinkham the
context he needed.
In the documentary, Solberg’s father,
Jerry, said Solberg is able to walk with-
out his walker, but uses it only during
school. Their goal was to get Solberg
walking without help at school.
Tinkham shot his film at Solberg’s
home and neighborhood, and at
Burnsville High School.
“Shooting in the hallways was fun,”
Tinkham said. “I knew it made Jerrad
look like a movie star.”
During the filming, Tinkham and
Solberg developed a friendship.
“Naturally, spending a lot of time
with him taught me about his lifestyle,
his likes and dislikes,” Tinkham said.
“He is an easy person to befriend.”
When the documentary was fin-
ished, Solberg’s family was surprised
how the film touched people who knew
him and who had overlooked him for
so long.
“When we were at the EDU Film
Festival and a hundred kids from your
high school went, I think those kids
were like, ‘I know him, but I don’t
know him,’” said Solberg’s step-
mother, Jolie. “And I think they were
surprised at how touched they were.
“… Even just people who already
knew him were blown away at, ‘Oh,
he’s not the Jerrad we think we know.’
And it’s given him a lot more opportu-
nities that I think he wouldn’t (have)
had otherwise.”
The family has seen the film
multiple times—it’s on YouTube and
Vimeo.
“I always cry when I watch it,” Jolie
Solberg said.
“I kind of thought maybe it would
change people’s perspectives on me,”
Jerrad Solberg said, “but also other
people with disabilities.”
In the film, Jerrad Solberg is able to
achieve his goal, but he still feels safer
with his walker.
Solberg, who is an avid Twins fan
and plays adaptive softball, is finishing
his last year at Burnsville High School.
He plans to attend St. Cloud State
University and hopes to get into the
field of sports, business or computers.
Tinkham is attending the University
of Arizona and plans to get into film
directing and production. One of the
things he is willing to try is exploring
different genres, he said, even though
documentary is his favorite because he
gets to film real people’s lives.
“I made this movie to influence
people,” Tinkham said. “I gave him the
opportunity to touch other people’s
lives.”
Jerrad takes a walk
Burnsville graduate’s documentary
highlights student with cerebral palsy
By Zahra
Mustafa
Eagan High
School
PhotocourtesyofJohnGessner/SUNThisweek
Jerrad Solberg (left) and Scott Tinkham at the EDU Film Festival in May in
St. Louis Park. “JERRAD,” a 15-minute documentary created by Tinkham that
highlighted Solberg and his life with cerebral palsy, won Best in Fest and
Best Documentary.
Citlali Bastian
McClain
Minneapolis
Roosevelt
High School
PhotocourtesyofScottTinkham
A screenshot from the documentary, “JERRAD.” The film chronicles Jerrad Solberg’s attempts to attend school without his walker.
WATCH ‘JERRAD’ ONLINE
You can find “JERRAD,” the award-
winning documentary, on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=WOmxFI4gM2I or on Vimeo
at https://vimeo.com/177119959.
TEENHEALTH&WELLNESS

When Danielle Selassie saw a story
about a Finnish tradition of giving preg-
nant women small cardboard boxes to
use as bassinets, she was inspired.
Selassie got pregnant at age 19 and
knew what it was like to need help. In
the end, she put her child up for adop-
tion, but the experience gave her more
empathy for young mothers.
That’s why last year she created
Babies Need Boxes, a Twin Cities
metro-area nonprofit that provides
teenage mothers—many of whom
live in risky situations with minimal
support—with cardboard baby boxes
filled with supplies to get them
on their feet. The goal is to help
equip mothers with the tools and
resources necessary to transition to
parenthood.
But these packages are more than
just a box. They look like office filing
boxes, decorated with baby prints.
The cardboard boxes are certified bas-
sinets—safe beds for infants through
their first nine months—packed with
diapers, baby wipes, ointment, baby
books, utensils and more. The boxes
also include a waterproof mattress and
safe sleep literature for parents.
“Nowadays people think you need
the most fancy things, but that’s not
the case,” Selassie said. “You need two
arms, breastmilk, a safe place for them
to sleep, and it can be very simple, as
simple as a box.”
Babies Need Boxes has delivered
more than 150 boxes to Minnesota
mothers since its inception, including
100 this year. The Baby Box Company
provides the boxes that Babies Need
Boxes distributes in Minnesota.
For more than 75 years, the
Finnish government has provided
pregnant women with a decorated
box of baby supplies, lined with a
mattress and a fitted sheet to also be
used as a bed. Struggling with high
infant mortality rates, Finland began
giving away the boxes in the 1930s.
The country now has one of the
world’s lowest infant mortality rates,
according to the BBC.
Selassie began collecting baby sup-
plies for teenage mothers at Longfellow
Alternative School. After delivering
boxes to Longfellow, Selassie decided
to expand the program statewide and
to Iowa. She connected with organiza-
tions and schools to get funding.
“The more that we can do to show
people that they have support and
build them up, the more successful
they are going to be,” Selassie said.
Selassie’s company has since part-
nered with more than 20 nonprofits,
two hospitals and multiple schools in
Minneapolis.
Melanie Faulhaber, a parenting
and pregnancy teacher at Longfellow
Alternative School and a board
member at large for Babies Need Boxes,
said when Selassie delivered the first
boxes, her approach with the young
women was soft and sincere.
“When you deliver a box to a
mother, you can see the relief in the
mother’s face and can tell she is a bit
more relaxed,” Faulhaber said. “I see
it every time Selassie comes to my
classroom.”
Now, more community members
and churches are helping make bibs,
collecting items for the boxes or put-
ting together the boxes.
“I want to cover the U.S. in baby
boxes,” Selassie said, “because every
mother deserves a box.”
A baby’s bed—in a
cardboard box
Metro-area nonprofit gives
young mothers maternity packages
that double as infant beds
By Talia
Bradley
Minneapolis
Roosevelt
High School
PhotocourtesyofMarkVancleave
Danielle Selassie, left, the executive director and founder of Babies Need
Boxes, and Melanie Faulhaber, a parenting and pregnancy teacher at Longfellow
Alternative School and a board member at large for Babies Need Boxes. Selassie
has delivered baby boxes—maternity packages that double as infant beds—to
young mothers at Longfellow.
PhotocourtesyofBabiesNeedBoxes
Babies Need Boxes gives away maternity packages—which include diapers, baby wipes, ointment, utensils and more—
to young mothers in the Twin Cities and in greater Minnesota. The boxes can double as a bassinet for an infant.
INSIDE THE BOX
A baby box from Babies Need Boxes can supply the following (depending
on availability):
• Packages of sensitive
skin baby wipes
• Baby lotion
• Baby soap
• Baby nail care
• Diaper rash ointment
• Sippy cup
• Toddler plates
• Toddler forks
• Toddlers spoons
• Baby toys
• Baby books
• Burp cloths
The Baby Box Company provides the box, as well as a waterproof mattress, sheet
and safe sleep literature. Each box also comes with a membership to Baby Box
University, which provides videos and resources for caring for infants.
“When you deliver a box to a mother, you can see the relief
in the mother’s face and can tell she is a bit more relaxed.”
—Melanie Faulhaber, a parenting and pregnancy teacher at Longfellow Alternative
School and a board member at large for Babies Need Boxes.
TEENHEALTH&WELLNESS

Imagine finding yourself in a
dangerous situation, such as a first
date that has turned threatening or a
suspicious neighborhood at night.
Now, imagine turning to a mobile
application for help.
In a recent study, 21 percent of
female college students reported
experiencing sexual assault since
starting college. That can be a ter-
rifying statistic for many women.
Hoping to find a solution to prevent
sexual assault, the world has turned
to technology.
Some mobile safety apps people
commonly use, such as bSafe, Circle
of 6 and Guardly, have features that
alert your emergency contacts in an
emergency and use GPS to track your
location. Some apps also have sepa-
rate networks you can create based
on your situation.
Jo Beyer, a student at the
University of St. Thomas who advo-
cates for sexual health on campus,
can see how developers would think
mobile apps for safety would appeal
to young people.
“They have these blue lights
around campus,” said Beyer, refer-
ring to the campus emergency poles
at St. Thomas, “but people don’t
use those blue lights, they use their
cellphones.”
Safety apps have different features
in order to be useful to a wide range
of people with varying needs. While
using Circle of 6, for example, tap
your phone twice if you’re in a
potentially dangerous situation and
a message gets sent to six of your
emergency contacts with your exact
location. With bSafe, a network of
people, called “guardians,” can be
alerted when you’re in an emergency
and can trace your path via GPS.
Siren GPS will contact 911 and send
your location to authorities with the
touch of a button. Some apps also
help victims report an incident and
let them access 24-hour hotlines.
But are these apps being used in
the real world, and are they actually
working?
According to Beyer, who is on
the St. Thomas Wellness Center’s
Student Health Promotion Team, the
apps haven’t reached the University
of St. Thomas yet. Emily Erickson,
the sexual assault prevention coordi-
nator at the university, also can’t say
if the apps are effective or if they’re
being used.
“I don’t think right now it’s been
around long enough for us to know if
there’s evidence to show if it’s reducing
sexual assault,” Erickson said.
Nevertheless, Beyer said, there’s no
substitute for basic safety skills and
common sense. You can always walk
with someone—a friend or a public
safety officer. If you don’t need to walk
alone, there are many ways to avoid it.
“You kind of have to be sure to
never let your guard down, be with the
people you trust,” Beyer said.
Sexual assault comes in different
forms, but most victims know their
attackers. An assault also can result
from a remark that can make someone
feel uncomfortable or disrespected.
Even though success is slow in
coming for mobile safety apps, advo-
cates for sexual assault still believe that
it doesn’t hurt to try new tools.
“It can happen to women, it can
happen to men, it can happen to
anyone at any time,” Beyer said.
Safety? There’s
an app for that
Preventing sexual assault
with the help of technology
By Melody Vue
St. Paul Harding
High School
Jo Beyer, a University of St. Thomas student and an advocate for sexual health, says mobile safety apps are new to her, but
understands why technology is being used to prevent sexual assault.
By Marwa
Mohamed
Ubah Medical
Academy
Emily Erickson, a sexual assault prevention coordinator at the University of
St. Thomas, says if you think mobile safety apps are helpful, then use them.
“You kind of have to be sure
to never let your guard down,
be with the people you trust.”
—Jo Beyer, University of St. Thomas
student who advocates
for sexual health.
In a recent study,
21 percent of female college
students reported experiencing
sexual assault since
starting college.
TEENHEALTH&WELLNESS

At Learning Tree Yoga in
Minneapolis, a group of preschoolers
bounce around in a classroom, singing
and jabbering.
Owner Jessie Forston prepares to
perform what some people believe as
magic—transforming agitated kids to
focused, calm kids.
Her secret is yoga—an ancient
Indian discipline, including breathing
control, simple meditation and specific
body poses, practiced for health and
relaxation.
Yoga has grown rapidly in popularity
in recent years, including with young
people. One recent study by the
National Institutes of Health shows
about 400,000 more U.S. children
(ages 4 to 17) were practicing yoga in
2012 than they were five years earlier.
Many young people have seen the
benefits that follow, such as increased
flexibility and an improved metabo-
lism—just to name a couple.
“We’ve seen the stress level of both
adults and kids and teens growing with
each year,” Forston said, “and they’re
really finding kind of a release from that
in being able to do things like yoga.”
Forston was a teacher at an Edina
elementary school several years ago
when she noticed the students in her
class were having a tough time staying
focused. She decided to integrate yoga
into the classroom and saw her stu-
dents react by becoming more present,
she said. Inspired, Forston received her
YogaKids certification, left her career as
a teacher and opened up Learning Tree
Yoga in 2008.
“A lot of people were thinking it was
just a fad, thinking it would pass and
never really be a career path,” Forston
said, “but then they started teaching
kids yoga all over the media.”
Studies show yoga has numerous
benefits. Eighty-six percent of yoga
practitioners report having “a strong
sense of mental clarity,” 73 percent
report being physically strong and 79
percent give back to their communi-
ties—all significantly higher rates than
those who don’t practice yoga, accord-
ing to a 2016 study by Yoga Journal and
Yoga Alliance.
Julia Larson, 17, said she felt ener-
gized and centered the first time she
tried yoga at a summer camp when
she was 14. Larson, a rising senior at
Minneapolis Washburn High School,
still continues to practice yoga.
“This last spring, I was under a lot
of stress, not really having a healthy
way of channeling my pent-up energy,
so I decided I’m going to do more yoga
each morning,” she said.
Larson sees herself implementing
more yoga into her routine, especially
when the fall semester rolls around.
She said yoga should be taught to stu-
dents in schools as a way for them to
get in shape during the school day and
find center of self.
“And if you put it down as part of
curriculum, then they have no option,”
she said.
Danielle Wong, a 17-year-old
incoming freshman at the University
of St. Thomas, first started yoga a
couple years ago as an actress at Stages
Theatre Company. Before her perfor-
mances, Wong’s stage manager would
make her and her peers do yoga.
“We would do moves, like ‘down-
ward dogs,’ and it was just a kind of
way to ease our nerves,” Wong said.
“Take deep breaths, have that focus
time before we actually went on stage.”
Wong saw the anxiety in the room
diminished and improvements in their
performances, she said.
“I think that’s important that every
teen just find something that helps
them get through the day and find
center of self,” Wong said.
Yoga for youth
The ancient Indian practice
can relieve stress, help with focus and
inspire healthier lifestyles for kids, teens
By Katelyn Vue
North High
School
Danielle Wong, 17, left, and Julia Larson, 17, show off their yoga moves in July
at the University of St. Thomas. They are two of many young people across the
country who have taken up the popular ancient Indian practice.
By Pa Houa
Yang
St. Paul Harding
High School
LEARNING TREE YOGA
For more information on
Learning Tree Yoga, go online to
http://www.learningtreeyoga.com/ or
call 612-916-9369.
YOGA STUDY
For more on the Yoga Alliance
and Yoga Journal’s study, “2016
Yoga in America Study,” go online
to http://www.yogajournal.com/
yogainamericastudy/.
“This last spring, I was under a lot of stress,
not really having a healthy way of channeling my pent-up
energy, so I decided I’m going to do more yoga each morning.”
—Julia Larson, 17-year-old Minneapolis Washburn student.
“I think that’s important
that every teen just find
something that helps them
get through the day and
find center of self.”
—Danielle Wong, 17-year-old
incoming freshman at the
University of St. Thomas.
PhotocourtesyofLearningTreeYoga
Young participants at Learning Tree Yoga, a Minneapolis yoga studio for kids.
TEENHEALTH&WELLNESS

With one Instagram selfie in a purple
waist trainer, Kim Kardashian brought
the waist-squeezing—and potentially
lung-constricting and rib-crushing—
device mainstream in 2014.
And with it, a 19th-century beauty
standard reminiscent of corsets and
Hollywood bombshells.
The waist trainer is today’s modern
corset, but with celebrities promoting
them on social media. Many women
have embraced the waist trainer to
attain an hourglass figure, yet medi-
cal professionals have warned about
the health risks, including damage to
internal organs.
For starters, the waist trainer
restricts the ability to breathe, accord-
ing to Madonna McDermott, the direc-
tor of Health Services and Wellness
Center at the University of St. Thomas.
“So it’s collapsing in, cinching
in at the waist,” McDermott said.
“And everybody’s waist is a little bit
different.”
Right above the natural waistline,
the 11th and 12th pairs of ribs are
called “floating ribs.” Waist trainers
can cause the floating ribs to crack or
puncture an internal organ, according
to McDermott.
McDermott’s opinion is that young
adults should not wear waist trainers
because waist trainers are a way to
shape their bodies into something
unattainable. She said waist training
could contribute to an underlying
eating disorder or a propensity for one.
Sae Yang, a Wisconsin high school
teacher, wears a waist trainer for about
five hours daily during school. While
some people use the waist trainer to
mold their bodies, Yang uses it as a
motivator to be healthier, she said.
After repeated attempts to lose
weight, Yang was hesitant about
purchasing a waist trainer she saw on
Facebook. Within three weeks, she lost
an inch-and-a-half from her waist, she
said.
“I don’t think I would have been
able to do that without the waist
trainer,” Yang said.
Despite knowing the possible health
hazards of waist trainers, Yang experi-
enced discomfort during the first few
days only, she said.
“When I got it, I was like, ‘I don’t
think I could fit in this!’” Yang said. “It
was half my size, my waist. So I was
really, really squeezing in, and it prob-
ably took me three days to really like,
break into it.”
Yang said teens who want to use
a waist trainer need to first educate
themselves, “because wearing a waist
trainer isn’t healthy, it’s all the other
steps along the way.”
“I think if it encourages young
women to change their lifestyle and
really reflect about their lifestyle and
their physical bodies and it motivates
them to want to make changes, I’d
say, ‘OK,’” Yang said. “... I can’t tell
someone, ‘You can’t,’ because I’m
doing it.”
University of St. Thomas junior
Deborah Honore said she thinks waist
training is a trend young people follow
because they think, if celebrities can
easily do it, they can, too. Honore has
heard of the trend, but does not know
anyone who wears a waist trainer.
“It’s something that’s enticing to
do because everybody wants to fit, like
it’s a societal standard,” Honore said.
She prefers exercising, she said, and
thinks waist training is an illusion.
“I wouldn’t (use a waist trainer)
because you’re just going to go right
back to the shape you were before,”
Honore said. “It’s not going to change
the anatomy of your body.”
McDermott recommends a more
traditional health regimen.
“I would say, first, love your body just
the way it is,” she said, “and if you’re
feeling that you’re not at the healthy
status you want to be, to exercise rea-
sonably, eat well-balanced, get adequate
fluid hydration (and) good sleep.”
Corset comeback
Does waist training trend
cause more harm than results?
By Kelly Saybe
Roseville Area
High School
PhotocourtesyofSaeYang
Sae Yang, a teacher
in Wisconsin, takes a
photo while wearing
her waist trainer.
Waist training has
become a new trend
among women,
but some medical
professionals
warn against
its effects.
By Elezebet
Mitiku
St. Paul Harding
High School
“It’s something that’s enticing to do because
everybody wants to fit, like it’s a societal standard.”
—Deb Honore, University of St. Thomas junior.
“I would say, first, love your body just the way it is, and if
you’re feeling that you’re not at the healthy status you want
to be, to exercise reasonably, eat well-balanced, get
adequate fluid hydration (and) good sleep.”
—Madonna McDermott, director of Health Services and
Wellness Center at the University of St. Thomas.
TEENHEALTH&WELLNESS
“I don’t think I would have been able to
(lose an inch-and-a-half from my waist within
three weeks) without the waist trainer.”
—Sae Yang, a Wisconsin schoolteacher who uses a waist trainer.

Motivation can come in many shapes
and sizes.
For Collin Evans, it’s the sight of
the wheelchair he’s used since a car
accident nearly crushed his spine when
he was 7.
Paralyzed from the waist down
after the accident, Evans overcame
great odds to become one of the top
wheelchair basketball prospects in the
nation. And his remarkable comeback
is still being written. Next year, he’ll
continue his playing career in college, a
springboard, he hopes, to qualifying for
the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.
Some people “said it would be a lot
harder to do stuff, just because of my
injury,” said Evans, 18, of Mondovi, Wis.
“It kind of drove me, because I wanted
to prove them wrong.”
Evans recalls the accident, but not
like it was yesterday. He remembers
where his family members were sitting
in their Ford pickup truck. He remem-
bers their vehicle was hit head-on by
oncoming traffic—but from then on, he
remembers nothing until the hospital.
“The whole feeling of the house
changed,” said Evans’ younger brother,
Hunter. “[There were] big injuries to
my mother, myself and Collin. And
then, of course, the house changes
itself. We had to make it accessible for
a wheelchair. We had to get around.”
After the accident, Evans found few
people expected him to work as hard
as he did in rehabilitation. Therapy that
was expected to last a year took only a
month. But Evans, a former three-sea-
son athlete faced with the prospect of
never walking again, needed an outlet.
About two years after the accident,
he found one in the increasingly popu-
lar sport of wheelchair basketball, to
which he was introduced by his aunt.
Evans’ confidence grew after he
enrolled into the Courage Kenny
Rehabilitation Institute. He
eventually made his way onto
the Jr. Rolling Timberwolves,
the institute’s varsity wheel-
chair basketball team.
Wheelchair basketball
players are classified into
eight categories ranging from
1 to 4.5. Higher numbers
signify players with more
functional ability, lower numbers
signify players with less. In the National
Wheelchair Basketball Association,
teams are allowed to have a total of 15
points per five players on the court at
any one time.
A Class 1 player, Evans started his
first varsity game at age 14. Twice a
week, he would make the two-hour
drive from his hometown of Mondovi
to the Jr. Rolling Timberwolves’ home
gym in Minneapolis for practice.
As he progressed, he became more
of a leader. Cara Gulbronson, the
wheelchair sports program coordinator
for the institute, said she has noticed a
huge change in Evans’ game since the
first time he entered the gym.
“I think overall he’s just more
confident as a player and as a student,”
Gulbronson said. “Collin
was on the all-academic
team as well. Not only is he
a great wheelchair basket-
ball player, but he’s also a
great leader on and off the
court.”
After scoring 28 points
to help the Jr. Rolling
Timberwolves win the
2013-14 junior national champion-
ship game during his sophomore
year, Evans went on to average 19.3
points per game—and score 42 points
during a game at the Midwest Junior
Regional Tournament in Whitewater,
Wisconsin—his junior year. He shot
40.5 percent from the field and aver-
aged 4.4 rebounds per game en route
to winning the Junior Division MVP
award. (Evans’ stats for the 2015-16
season were unavailable when this
article went to press.)
By the end of his high school career,
Evans was a three-time national
champion. He also traveled to Japan in
November to compete with the United
States U-30 team for the Kitakyushu
Champions Cup. Although the U.S.
finished in fourth place, Evans still had
a good time.
“We got killed by them, but it was
still a fun time,” he said. “The experi-
ence was great.”
A sought-after college prospect,
Evans signed to play at the University
of Wisconsin-Whitewater, which has
won the last three national cham-
pionships. He said he chose not to
try out for the U.S. team for the 2016
Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,
and to instead focus on his first year of
college at UW-Whitewater.
“I’ve gotta get stronger and faster,”
he said, “and grow and keep up with
people.”
On a roll
Young wheelchair basketball star
sets his sights high
By Austyn Lo
St. Paul Harding
High School
Photosubmitted
Collin Evans, a former Jr. Rolling Timberwolves player, persevered through a car accident that left him paralyzed from the
waist down at age 7 and became one of the top wheelchair basketball recruits in the nation. He will play at the University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater this year.
By William
Bollom
The International
School of Kuala
Lumpur
Some people “said it would be a lot harder
to do stuff, just because of my injury. It kind of drove me,
because I wanted to prove them wrong.”
—Collin Evans, wheelchair basketball player who will compete at the
college level for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
“Not only is he a great
wheelchair basketball player,
but he’s also a great leader
on and off the court.”
—Cara Gulbronson, wheelchair sports
program coordinator for the Courage
Kenny Rehabilitation Institute.
Evans
TEENHEALTH&WELLNESS

A group of young people line up
against a St. Paul light rail station.
While one of them beats on a drum,
they chant, “I got something to say, can
you hear me?”
This is the opening scene of a video
highlighting participants of Irreducible
Grace Foundation, a St. Paul organiza-
tion that works with vulnerable youth,
especially those aging out of foster care
or state guardianship, to help them gain
a voice and to guide them into adult-
hood. The foundation also works to
repair youth’s trust in adults and help
them achieve their college, career and
life goals.
“In our program we try to help kids
get through the system, give them a
voice because they usually don’t have a
voice,” said Darlene Fry, executive direc-
tor of the Irreducible Grace Foundation.
The U.S. Department of Education
website says that foster kids are more
likely to drop out of school and not
attend college, much less graduate with
a degree. According to the Irreducible
Grace Foundation’s website, 50 percent
of youth who have aged out of the
foster care system don’t graduate from
high school, 50 percent will be unem-
ployed by age 23 and 25 percent will be
homeless.
In Minnesota, more than 12,000
kids were placed in foster care in
2015, according to the Department of
Human Services. In Hennepin County
alone, 1,569 kids were in the foster care
system as of June, with one-third of
them ages 13 to 20.
Fostering
youth voice
Irreducible Grace provides young people
space to share their stories, to grow
By Bilan
Mohamed
Ubah Medical
Academy
Darlene Fry, the executive director of the Irreducible Grace Foundation, and her adopted daughter, Grace, 12. The
foundation—named after Grace—helps give vulnerable youth, especially those who have aged out of foster care,
a voice and helps them transition into adulthood.
By Maria Navidad
Sanchez Resendiz
Minneapolis
Roosevelt High
School
Tiara Suarez sat in her seventh-
grade classroom when her
teacher’s phone rang.
Suarez was called down to
the front office. Child Protective
Services was waiting for her and
her siblings.
Suarez, her older sister
and a younger brother were
taken out of their unfit home
in Minneapolis, she said, and
moved into a shelter, where
they would then leave for a
foster home.
Suarez, 21, was born in
California, raised in Salem,
Oregon, and later moved to
Minneapolis with the only
guardian in the picture, a rela-
tive. Her mother was in and out
of prison, she said, and she
didn’t have a relationship with
her father.
Suarez’s story is all too
common, according to
Wendylee Raun, the state adop-
tion exchange and recruitment
coordinator at MN Adopt, which
offers resources and services to
support adoptions. Raun helps
facilitate adoptions between
families and foster care youth.
“... Foster parents take
children into their home to
give them a safe environment
while their parents try and
work out whatever the prob-
lem is that got the kids into
foster care,” Raun said. But
some never reunite with their
parents or guardians.
Thousands of youth are in
foster care in Minnesota. In
Hennepin County alone, 1,569
youth were in the foster care
system as of June, and one-third
of them were ages 13-20, accord-
ing to county statistics. Nearly
120 kids in the county—the
majority teenagers—were wait-
ing for a family to adopt them
as of May.
Suarez felt safe in her new
Twin Cities home with an older
couple as foster parents, she
said. They enforced chores and
clean rooms, and family outings
were mandatory.
But, the changes in her life
were sometimes too much.
“I went from a happy, smiling
person to depressed,” she said.
Raun says children who end
up aging out of foster care face a
number of obstacles, including
being at higher risk of having
developmental, emotional and
behavioral issues.
Life after
foster care
Effects of the system
on children, young adults
By Tyler Lee
St. Paul Harding
High School
By Mychaela
Bartel
Roseville Area
High School
PhotocourtesyofChristinaGarner
Tiara Suarez, 21, a former foster youth, bucked the
national trend of foster care students not graduating
high school and attending college. But, in line with other
national statistics, she’s also a young mother who is
unemployed and homeless, she says. FOSTER continued on page 27
VOICE continued on page 27
TEENHEALTH&WELLNESS
TEENHEALTH&WELLNESS

When it comes to music, Patton is
no stranger. He was singing in a local
choir at Berean Missionary Baptist
Church in Minneapolis at just 4 years
old. Two years later, he was writing his
own songs. When middle school came
around, he was conducting the same
choir he had been singing in just a few
years earlier. He became a professional
singer at 16.
Patton has become something of a
local celebrity—not just for his music,
but also from his work as a community
leader. In 2007, as a 17-year-old, he
established a community choir called
“Deliverance for Youth,” comprised of
youth ages 14-21 from across the Twin
Cities metro area. The choir—which
aims to “empower and save youth for
Christ”—has put out an album (written
by Patton) and shared the stage with
high-profile musicians such as rock
band Foreigner.
Patton’s voice resonates throughout
the North Side because, in addition to
performing at weddings, funerals and
services, he also attends community
meetings, is active on social media
and is an activist for gang and gun
violence prevention in his hometown.
In July, he performed at a unity service
in Minneapolis in response to the
Philando Castile shooting and the
violence in north Minneapolis.
ThreeSixty Journalism had the
chance to talk to Patton in August
about his journey to No. 1, his
inspirations, his North Side com-
munity and what’s next for the rising
gospel singer.
Wong: Take me back to when
you found out you were No. 1 on
Billboard’s gospel album chart.
What went through your mind?
Patton: It was unbelievable. I am still
in disbelief. ... Just disbelief, amaze-
ment, wow. It’s still like that, just wow.
W: How did you find out?
P: I found out through one of my favor-
ite singers (Donald Lawrence) (who)
tagged me on the post on Facebook.
And some record executive had tagged
me in a few posts as well on Facebook.
W: Did you expect that you would
get to No. 1?
P: I mean, we were working, we were
just doing what we were doing. Of
course, you know, you shoot for it, but
you don’t really think that that would
happen.
W: How did you get to No. 1 without
a record label?
P: God and social media. But I would
say God and Facebook. Literally, we
have thousands of clicks and sales
directly from Facebook to the link that
we posted.
W: What does it mean to be at the
top of the charts? Does it mean
you’ve reached your peak?
P: No, it’s definitely the beginning.
However, it is a dream come true. One
of my favorite singers in the whole
wide world is Beyoncé, so you know
I’ve seen her at No. 1 all these different
times, so you just realize, ‘Wow.’
But to be No. 1, it’s just like a dream
come true.
W: You could have moved anywhere
to develop your career—Memphis,
Chicago, Los Angeles—those are all
great places for gospel singers, so
why stay here in Minneapolis?
P: Because my community is here.
And I’m a community kid. I can’t go
places without speaking to people.
People relate that to, “Ooh, you’re
popular, you’re a celebrity.” Actually,
no, I’m just involved in my com-
munity. So when you’re involved
in different funerals, or different
weddings, or different community
meetings or voting or different things
of that nature, you begin to meet
those people that live in your neigh-
borhood. From that, I decided to stay
here in this neighborhood because I
have the support of my community.
... I’m literally homegrown, okay. I
mean I’ve worked downtown before;
I’ve done everything in Minneapolis.
From downtown to north is my neck of
the woods.
W: You recently performed at a
community service in reaction to the
Philando Castile shooting in July. Do
you feel your music plays a role in
helping to solve issues of violence in
your community?
P: Absolutely. My voice does play a role
Jovonta Patton could not stop yawning.
It’s 11 a.m. Aug. 1, a day after Jovonta
Patton Day in Minnesota (which was
officially declared by Governor Mark
Dayton), and Patton was sitting through
his second interview of the morning in
the courtyard of Minneapolis’ IDS Center.
Patton had good reason to be tired. The 26-year-old north Minneapolis native
and independent artist gained nationwide attention in late July when he debuted
No. 1 on Billboard’s gospel album charts with “Finally Living,” an album he sold
mainly through Facebook and the trunk of his car. On top of that, he’s been
recording a new music video, raising an infant and jumping from one interview
to the next.
It’s been “a dream come true,” he said.
PhotocourtesyofJabariHolloman
Gospel singer Jovonta Patton, a
Minneapolis native, recently debuted
No. 1 on the Billboard gospel album
chart—without a label deal—with his
album, “Finally Living,” which he sold via
Facebook and out of the trunk of his car.
North Minneapolis gospel singer hits
No. 1 on Billboard’s gospel album charts
Danielle Wong
ThreeSixty
Journalism
intern
ThreeSi
xty Focus on...
Jovonta
Patton

and my music. I would like to say on a
bigger spectrum, my voice in general—
whether it be through social media, or
singing, or even us just communicating
right now. Another one of my friends,
they were killed probably two or three
weeks before Phil, and we had a prayer
wall, and (in) less than 24 hours we had
over 800 shares, telling people just to
come out and walk. Twelve-thousand
views just of the (35-second) video.
However, that came from the com-
munity, and that was my voice. So I
do believe I have a huge voice, and
I also believe I have a bigger voice
because I know (Castile’s) girlfriend,
Diamond. So when she went live, I got
a notification because we’re friends on
Facebook. We went to school together.
So once again, it wasn’t just a CNN
story like, “Oh, what can I do to help?”
I’m looking, watching my phone like,
“That’s Diamond.”
W: What do you see are the issues in
north Minneapolis with the violence
that has happened, and what do you
think are some of the solutions?
P: I would say some of the solutions
are—and I don’t say this out of haugh-
tiness, I say this out of humility—are
bridges like myself. North Minneapolis
seeing product from exactly where they
live do something successful and give
them hope. They need more pictures
of hope from right where they come
from. Not pictures of hope of people
that they never really met or this far off
on TV, but “That’s Jovonta!” They need
to see hope, they need to see hope.
And outside of them needing to see
hope, they need a support system that
believes in them.
W: What are some of the issues that
you see?
P: I see a lot of issues. The lack of
education, the lack of stable housing,
highly mobile young people. Also the
lack of summer programs for teens and
young adults.
W: I know you created a summer
program for teens as part of
Deliverance for Youth (DFY). How
have you seen that program impact
young people involved?
P: Multiple ways. 90 percent of those
young people that were involved gradu-
ated, went on to higher education, one
of them just got their masters probably
less than a month (ago). They’ve
started businesses, done small-busi-
ness clothing lines, hair salons, one just
finished her bar exam. So we have had
a plethora of success stories out of the
summer program and out of just DFY
in general.
Higher education is one of the great-
est ones. Some will write songs, they
produce for other people, but higher
education has been one of the main
things that affect the DFY.
W: What kind of influence has your
daughter been on your music?
P: I’ve been writing forever, however
for this album, I did not start writing
until she was born. My daughter had
the biggest influence. ... So I had my
daughter four days before my birthday
last year. I’m a very planned-out guy,
so my daughter wasn’t a surprise or
anything like that. We knew she was
coming. However, I think it’s normal,
first-time parent, so I started to worry
about, “Hey, what am I going to do with
a whole entire human for the rest of its
life?” … It’s a human and I have to be
responsible and I have to teach them.
And I just started humming ... “I have
nothing to worry about.”
She also inspired me to write
another song on the album called “No
Love Lost.” She had a massive number
two, and it was my first time having to
change her. So massive... There’s a term
that we use in the hood that says, “No
love lost.” So if somebody does you
wrong, or if somebody crosses you, “No
love lost, it’s fine.” And so I just felt like
you could have done the most messy
thing that you possibly could do right
now, however me being your father,
there’s no love lost.
And so I felt that that’s how God
views us as his children. We may mess
up, we don’t get it right 90 percent of
the time ... and so God is still there to
compel us back to him and it’s no love
lost. So she was a good inspiration. I
owe her some money.
W: How has being a father changed
your viewpoint on life, on music?
P: I was already soft, so let’s just
start there. It made me softer. She’s
changed my viewpoint on music in
this particular way. She reminds me a
lot of myself. The only reason why I
say that is because she sings the whole
entire album at 1, and she dances when
Beyoncé’s “Formation” comes on, and
you know, in the WCCO interview,
she was singing the song. I would say
seeing her notifies me that music is in
me. It’s in me, because the product of
what I could do, clearly, and it’s just
in her. And so it really changed my
viewpoint on life, that music wasn’t
something that I chose, it chose me.
W: What are your hopes for your
daughter and other youth in the
Twin Cities?
P: My hopes for my particular daughter
is I hope she grows up to sing and she’s
really good at it. I hope that she’s a way
better version than her father. I think
you’re supposed to get better than your
parents. ... My goal for her is that she’s
like a better version. ...
And for young people in the
community, my goal is that hopefully
this causes a lot of entrepreneurs and
people that are bored to just do what
they want to do. Go out, make a song,
promote the song, create a plan. My
hope is that they become successful
in their endeavors and that they find
finances and that they find audiences
that will help support their particular
vision and dream.
W: Yesterday was Jovonta Patton
Day, so how did you celebrate?
P: It was Jovonta Patton Day in
Minnesota, declared by Governor Mark
Dayton. Believe it or not, the only thing
I did was I went to Red Lobster, but
I couldn’t even eat there. Everything
else was working, singing, “Hi, how you
doing? Can we take a picture? Can you
sign this?” ...
I did do something really cool later
on, though. One of my friends has a
‘68 Impala and it’s really nice. And he
took me joyriding last night downtown
for about 30 minutes and we did a
Facebook Live. I saw a lot of people,
and everyone was congratulating me.
So it was like a ghetto parade.
W: So what’s next for
Jovonta Patton?
P: That’s a good question. I have a kid
that is due Sept. 16, my wife’s birthday.
But musically, to stay on the chart
another three weeks. After staying on
the chart for another three weeks, so
I can submit myself for Stellars and
Grammys, and that’s about it, just keep
doing what I’m doing, singing and sell-
ing CDs so I can make my money back
that I spent as an independent (artist).
A lot of people equate it as, “Oh
you’re making a lot of money.” But it’s
like, “No, this is the money that I spent
that I’m finally making back.” I spent
about $13,000 on the record.
W: Do you regret not having a
record label?
P: Not at all. I’m happy I did it without
one, because now when I do get the
opportunity to go to one, then the offer
won’t be one-sided. “Okay, well I could
stay on the chart for this many weeks
by myself.” I have leverage. People
already know. What can you do for me
that I can’t do for myself? Can you get
me to perform at the Grammys pre-
show? If you can do that, then we can
possibly talk.
So that’s kind of the next goal, but I
don’t want to be in pursuit of a record
deal or any of those things. I just don’t
want to live in a moment where I don’t
ever enjoy the moment. I want to be
more of the, “whatever happens, hap-
pens,” and to keep working hard.
This transcript has been edited.
PhotocourtesyofJabariHolloman
Patton with his wife, Symone, and daughter, Ella.
THE JOVONTA
PATTON FILE
• Profession: Singer
• Age: 26
• Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
• Career highlights: Album debuted
No. 1 on Billboard gospel album
chart in Summer 2016. At age 17,
started Deliverance for Youth
community choir, which released
album in 2011. Became professional
singer at age 16.
• Find ‘em: On Twitter and
Instagram at @mrpatton316

The art of
storytelling
“Ahlao, do you want to hear a story?”
said Dad, addressing me by my child-
hood name more than 10 years ago in
our living room.
“But I want to play with my toys!”
I replied.
“Now now, come on,” my dad
insisted. “You’re going to love it.”
He brought me to the small kitchen
table, sat down on a chair and pushed
away the books on the tabletop, replac-
ing them with some pieces of paper
and a pencil. What he did next with
the pencil and paper would change me
forever.
He steadily started illustrating out
his history while telling his story. This
way of telling his story managed to get
me to listen.
“So there’s me and my family,” Dad
said as he sketched out a few more
stick figures. “We live in a village in
Laos.”
As his story went on, his happy,
slow-toned voice narrated the story
while his hands swept across the fibers
of the paper with the pencil, leaving
traces of various lines, shapes and
marks. Even though what he drew was
just a collection of stick figures and
poorly drawn houses, they grabbed
my attention and I stared in awe as he
doodled, and I thought to myself, “Hey,
I can do that too.”
“After avoiding soldiers, crossing the
Mekong River, living in a refugee camp,
and getting ready to move to America,
we’re now here,” Dad said, his lips
curved slightly upward to form a small
dimpled grin.
Once my dad ended his story, I
grabbed the pencil he placed on the
stacks of paper and right away started
scribbling some shapes, animals and
stick figures. I started to draw a house
with grass on the ground, clouds in the
sky and a sun peeking out on the left
corner of the paper.
I lifted up the drawing to get a full
view of it. Smiling, I could say that
I was in love with drawing. I might
cringe if I looked at it today, but it was
the best piece of art that I had made
up to that point. My dad’s passion for
visual storytelling inspired me, and his
doodles that day sparked my interest
in art.
Since then, my art has evolved from
stick figures and random doodles to
video game fan art. In 2012, I started to
take my interest in drawing more seri-
ously. And video games became a big
influence on my art. Video games can
tell stories as well, and getting involved
in the story as the main character and
listening to it while I’m constantly
pressing the system controller’s but-
tons gave me the inspiration to draw
the characters in the game. I’ve drawn
characters mostly from the Nintendo
franchise, such as the Super Mario
Bros., The Legend of Zelda and, mostly,
Pokémon. Without these video games,
my art probably wouldn’t be the same
as it is today.
Drawing is now an embraced
hobby. I love telling stories, and just
like my dad, I want to tell those tales
visually to everyone. While I have
many dreams and careers that I’d
like to reach, such as becoming an
animator, graphic designer, computer
engineer or concept designer, one
career I’m most interested in is being
a Mangaka, which is a Japanese-style
comic creator.
From making money out of
my art to gaining more skills and
techniques to improve my artistic
ability, I’ve been making a path of
my own to get to where I’d like to
go. My dad, who was my first artistic
inspiration, supports my dream to
become an artist. Besides my dad,
there are several other artists and
illustrators that I really look up
to, such as Wenqing Yan, Allexis
Kristedja and Mikiko Ponczeck,
as they also tell stories visually.
Currently, I’m creating my own
story, which is a web comic that I
hope to publish when I’m older.
I know as I develop my talent and
my art gets more mature, I’ll never
forget that it all started with my father
telling me his story with simple stick
figures.
COLLEGE ESSAY BOOT CAMP
Last spring, ThreeSixty Journalism hosted its
first-ever College Essay Boot Camps at Minneapolis
Roosevelt and St. Paul Harding high schools.
The program went above and beyond our
expectations.
In an effort to help every ThreeSixty Journalism
student leave our program with a college essay,
we installed that same school-year model—one-
week, start-to-finish college essay workshops—into
our journalism summer camps. This summer,
ThreeSixty held two more College Essay Boot
Camps, in which more than 40 students completed
their college essays.
We’re excited to share a collection of these
powerful, compelling essays with you, and we hope
you are as moved while reading them as we are.
Staffphoto
A morning session during ThreeSixty Journalism’s College Essay Boot Camp week during summer camp in July at the University
of St. Thomas.
Kicking students’ college essays into shape!
I know as I develop my talent and my art gets more
mature, I’ll never forget that it all started with my father
telling me his story with simple stick figures.
By Tony Vue
St. Paul Harding
High School

Imagine being in a classroom where
everyone else is in on a secret, except
you. What you hear is silence, but their
stares say it all: You’re different, you
don’t belong.
This was the scene I faced every
day after transferring to a new junior
high outside of my school district. As a
young black woman, I never thought I
would have to live each day disprov-
ing others’ stereotypes about my race.
I never imagined that within a year I
would want to quit school.
The three years I spent in junior
high would break down my confidence
but inspire me to become the strong
young woman I am today.
From my first day at Brooklyn Junior
High, I was seen as the new girl, the
new black girl. As I walked into English
class, my teacher looked me up and
down. The welcoming expression on
her face became guarded.
“Are you sure you’re in the right
class?” she asked. “This is an honors
class.”
I realized why she and other teach-
ers were puzzled. I was the only black
person in my honors classes.
The other students doubted me, as
well. They called me a “wannabe” and
a “weirdo” because I was eager to learn
and did more than the teachers asked
of me.
“Stop trying to be white,” my class-
mates told me, as if “white” was syn-
onymous with being successful, some-
thing I wasn’t allowed to be because of
the color of my skin. I was trapped; my
world became empty and silent.
I come from a family of dreamers
and fighters, and my passion for educa-
tion derives from them. When I was 3,
my parents gave everything they had to
bring my siblings and me to the United
States from Liberia. My mom and dad
never had access to a college educa-
tion. That motivates me to seize every
opportunity that comes my way.
“Don’t go to school to be liked by
others,” my mother would say as I
cried in her arms, describing my class-
mates’ cruelty. “Go to school for your
education.”
Those were harsh words for a
14-year-old who only wanted friends.
But they turned out to be valuable
words of wisdom.
I realized I had two options: to be
bound by what others say I can do or
to create my own reality. Spending time
alone awoke my love of writing and
poetry. I learned to channel my sadness
and loneliness into creativity and help-
ing others. I volunteered at the public
library and tutored elementary school
children. Putting a smile on others’
faces began to put a smile on mine.
Growing up I have learned that we
are defined not by our experiences
but by who we become because of
them. Being excluded and ignored
has motivated me to be inclusive and
open to everyone I meet. I pay more
attention now to the girl or guy sitting
alone in the school cafeteria. I ask that
person to sit by me. Because of my
experiences, I have learned to think
twice before I judge anyone for how
smart they seem to be or what they
look like.
I am a strong woman today because
I am willing to stand out and be differ-
ent. I’ve learned that being an active
participant in class is not something to
be afraid of, but the best way to learn; I
want to serve as an example for others
who are afraid to embrace their intel-
ligence and desire for education. I have
come to appreciate the skin I’m in and
the different cultures in our society.
As I continue to work toward college,
I want to enlighten others, particularly
those who feel alienated and worthless.
I want them to see that, like me, they
can make their way through darkness,
and create a world of light that shines
for them and inspires others.
Appreciating
the skin I’m in
Once a year, my mom and I take a
road trip to the same winding road
along the St. Croix River, to the town of
Prescott, Wisconsin.
I am nervous. I don’t enjoy it.
Mom parks our van on the side of
the highway, hoping not to be hit by
oncoming traffic. Cars whiz by so you
only get a second to look at them.
We exit the van and reach for the
white wooden hand-made cross with
a pink flowered wreath laying in our
trunk. We haul it up a hill with no
paths, full of unattended grass, bushes,
and bugs. We place it in a spot where
people could spot it from the road
and we utter a small prayer. When we
leave we pass the town full of people
getting their motorcycles ready to ride
the road, like my father on the day that
became a tragedy for us all.
I was 6 years old when my father
set out on his motorcycle early one
morning. He was told many times to
be careful on the dangerous route he
would be traveling on.
My mother was at home when she
got the call that my father was being
airlifted to the hospital. After that we
received another call with the worst
news possible—that he had passed
away. My grandmother was holding
my mother, who couldn’t stand on her
own. They were both in tears.
The next thing that sticks out in my
memory was laying a single rose on top
of my father’s body in his coffin, never
thinking that would be last time that
I would ever feel my father. I didn’t
know it then, but this loss forever
changed how I saw the world and it
opened up my mind to seeing life from
other perspectives. This made me want
to help others who experienced the
same tragedy that I had.
When my father died, I looked up to
my mom for her strength, but I had no
idea how to move forward. I kept my
feelings locked up for a long time. I felt
like I was trapped, curled up in a dark
room of my own creation, empty with
no one to talk to. I never told anyone
what I felt, but my family found some
papers I had written about how I was
feeling.
They took me to a counselor, talking
to this person who had the skills to
help me break down the wall I built for
so long. She worked with me to under-
stand what I was feeling and express
those feelings in the right way. Her
office became a safe place for me where
I knew I could allow myself to vent my
feelings without any judgement. She sat
and listened and suggested solutions
on how I could solve problems.
Last year after the death of my
grandfather, who had filled my father’s
shoes in raising me, I went to her
to help me pull through it. Going
that soon after his death helped me
understand how my family dynamic
was going to change and how I would
be filling his shoes around the house. It
also helped me have my best trimester
in school because I was able to focus
on what was important.
Now, I want to use my own expe-
riences to help people deal with all
the challenges that they face. I want
to be a counselor and teach people
that there are better ways to handle
the challenges that life throws at
them. Already I’m the one my friends
reach out to with their feelings and
problems. I have become a person
they trust, who will listen and help
them through whatever they are
going through.
No one should live in the darkness
like I did for so many years. I want to
show them that everyone belongs in
the light.
‘Everyone belongs
in the light’
college essays
Growing up I have learned that we are defined not by
our experiences but by who we become because of them.
Being excluded and ignored has motivated me to be
inclusive and open to everyone I meet.
I didn’t know it then, but this loss forever changed how I saw
the world and it opened up my mind to seeing life from other
perspectives. This made me want to help others who
experienced the same tragedy that I had.
By Mychaela
Bartel
Roseville Area
High School
By Oralyn
Weah
Park Center
High School

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